Integrity means doing what is right, even when no one is watching. It’s being the same person publicly, privately, and personally. It means aligning what you say with what you do.
And it’s a vital part of our practice. With integrity, we:
Never Commit to Anything Where We Lack Passion
Central to our identity as a firm is our chosen few practice areas: estate planning and elder law. Yes, we prepare real estate documents. Yes, we create business entities. But these are all done with an eye toward creating options for paying for long-term care and ultimately passing on a legacy.
We don’t know divorce law, and we don’t do civil litigation. We don’t have a passion for those things (and many others). But we are passionate about stewardship and legacy. We believe deeply in advocating for seniors.
So that’s what we do.
Always Treat Others with Respect
Our clients often come to us in the midst of upheaval. Moving a spouse or parent to a long-term care facility puts everyone under significant mental and emotional strain. We are here to support you during that difficult transition.
No problem is too small for our complete attention.
No question is a dumb question – even the fifth time it gets asked.
We’re here to listen if you just need to vent. Or cry. Or laugh.
Keep Our Word
We handle and have access to a lot of sensitive client information. With that comes a mutual understanding between client and the firm. We keep our word about what we will do with their information and they trust us to do what is in their best interest. If we do not keep our word, how can we expect our clients to trust that we want nothing more than to give them peace of mind when it comes to protecting their legacy?
Tell the Truth
There’s so much inaccurate information out there about Medicaid and nursing homes that I have to believe that there are people actively misinforming seniors and their families about their options.
So, our commitment is that we will help our clients find or create options for paying for long-term care. If Medicaid is the right answer, we’ll pursue that for you, and we’ll do it with full disclosure. No bending the rules or hiding assets.
We encourage each client to explain – or better yet, have us explain – their estate planning decisions to their children. This has many effects, but most importantly it softens or eliminates a child’s hard feelings about being treated unfairly and it helps reduce distrust between the executor or trustee and your beneficiaries.
Think Before We Act
I’m a lawyer. That means I help people solve problems, and those solutions often involve creating making changes to legal documents or seeking benefits from government agencies.
Sometimes, during a Mutual Interview with a prospective client, the client will say something that
Always Favor Action
Disclaimer: Brandon Burchard wrote a book called “The Motivation Manifesto.” I have not read his book; it is decidedly humanist in its message. But when I came across an article about him on the internet recently, I was struck by how his six principles of integrity aligned so closely with the Huizenga Law core value of integrity. I couldn’t help but structure this post after those six principles.